Blog: A Missing Peacock

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Burt Ross

I read the other day on Nextdoor that one of our residents found a peacock on his property and was reaching out to the community to find its owner.

Now I understand that all living beings are God’s creations, but I must confess that I do not love all living things equally, and frankly, some not at all. I am not especially fond of male peacocks, and trust me, that is an understatement.

A neighbor of mine once owned a male peacock which would prance around showing off its magnificent plumage. The problem was not his exhibitionism, but the sounds he made when in the presence of his female counterpart. When you hear his blood curdling cry at three in the morning, trust me when I tell you it is a sound you will not soon forget. I imagine his cry would be similar to that made by a mother witnessing her toddler being hit by a Mack truck.

I gather that this scream somehow turns on the female peacock which is why I have little regard for her also. As far as I am concerned, she is the cause and therefore an accomplice to this mating cacophony.

I am no biblical scholar, to say the least, but if I recall the story of Noah correctly, Noah built an ark before it rained 40 days and 40 nights (something which has never happened in the history of Southern California). After having a drink or two, Noah gathered a pair of every species onto his boat and sailed off until the rains subsided.

What I find most incredible about this story is that Noah could have included a male and female peacock.  I believe that were a peacock couple actually on board, once that male peacock got turned on by his lady friend and tested his vocal chords, all the animals with decent hearing plus Noah and his family would have jumped ship and risked drowning in the flood waters.